GVSU Places Third at NCAA D-II Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Charlotte, N.C. - The Grand Valley State University women's track and field team finished in third place at the 2010 Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday (May 29) in Charlotte, N.C. The Lakers scored 47 points, while Angelo State took the crown (87 points), followed by Lincoln (Mo.) (73 points).This is the highest placement and point total for Grand Valley State in the program's history.
GVSU lead a contingent of five Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) teams that scored points at the Championship. Ashland University placed 12th with 19.5 points, the University of Findlay finished 29th with nine points, Hillsdale College placed 37th with 6.5 points, while Northwood University tied for 43rd with five points.
Team recaps are below:
Grand Valley State:
Sophomore Monica Kinney recorded 13 points for Grand Valley State at the meet, with a second place finish in the 1500-meter run (4:23.00) and a fourth place finish in the 5000-meter run (16:24.67). Also competing in the 5000-meter run was Megan Maceratini (12th-16:44.64), Eileen Creutz in (14th-17:05.65) and Amy Kolin (18th-17:33.13).
In the 800-meter run, Chanelle Caldwell claimed a third place finish with a time of 2:06.60, scoring the Lakers six points and earning all-american honors. Senior Danielle Fonseca broke her previous school record in the 400-meter hurdles with an eighth place finish and a time of 1:00.37.
Senior Candice Wheat earned all-american honors in the 100-meter hurdles, with a fourth place finish. She cleared the hurdles with a time of 13.57 seconds. In the 3000-meter steeplechase, Rebecca Winchester crossed the finish line 11th (10:55.22), followed by Karie McDonald in 12th (10:56.09).
The 4x400-meter relay team of Caldwell, Kayla Vallar, Leiah Hess, and Wheat, crossed the finish line fourth with a time of 3:41.81, setting a new school record and scoring five points for GVSU.
In the field events, Jocelyn Kuksa scored GVSU five points with a fourth place finish in the pole vault. The sophomore cleared a vault of 12'6.75", while senior Christi Kettelhut placed 10th (11'10.75'). Senior Maegan Doyen earned all-american honors with a seventh place finish in the high jump. She cleared a height of 5'7", scoring two points for the Lakers.
Freshman Sam Lockhart earned her first outdoor all-american honors in the discus throw. She finished seventh with a toss of 148'9", while Melanie Huhn placed 15th (138'11") and Jamie Smith 18th (127'6"). Lauren Buresh recorded a throw of 43'2.4" in the shot put, good for 15th place.
Ashland:
In the shot put, Kelly Ash was the runnerup. Her best throw was 49-11.25. Jacqui Barrett of UMASS-Lowell won the gold medal (50-8.25). Ash won a national title during the indoor season.
Another AU champ from the indoor campaign, Abby Kacsandi, tied for third in the high jump. Emporia State’s Jennifer Robinson (5-09.25) took first place and Tamara McCaskill of Missouri S & T (5-08) was second. Kacsandi and East Stroudsburg’s Lynn Mayer shared third place at 5-07.
A third AU champion from the indoor season, sprinter Steph Tinney, was sixth in the 400 meters. Her time was 54.58. Celethia Byrd of Angelo State won the race in 53.02.
n the women’s discus, Tara Cooper (152-0) secured All-America laurels by placing sixth. Ash (142-06) was 10th. Paige Newby of Abilene Christian (162-0) was the national champion.
One of the few events to be completed on Friday was the heptathlon. Ashland’s Lisa Roth finished 13th in that event.
Findlay:
Stephanie Charnigo and Raven Clay led the Oilers as they both picked up All-American awards in their respective events.
Charnigo earned All-American honors in the 800-meter run after racing to a time of 2:06.98 to finish fourth while Clay was fifth in the 100-meter dash at 13.77.
Lindsey Schmitmeyer was 15th in the 800-meter after crossing the finish line in 2:12.04.
Hillsdale:
Senior hammer thrower Anna Leutheuser has
competed in the sport of track throughout her athletic career in
the community of Hillsdale. Starting at Hillsdale Academy as a
ninth grader in the fall of 2002, she has worn blue and white and
represented the Academy, and now, Hillsdale College with pride and
excellence. Thursday afternoon, she placed herself in the elite of
all athletes who have ever competed for Hillsdale College.
Having already graduated three weeks ago, Leutheuser earned her
first career All-American distinction when she finished sixth in
the nation in the hammer throw event. Leutheuser is already the
school record holder in the event, but with her performance
Thursday, she joins her mother, Laura Willson Leutheuser as the
first mother-daughter track All-Americans in school history.
Leutheuser is the 15th different athlete to gain All-American
status in the 2009-10 school year for Hillsdale College.
Saturday, senior Jazmin Williams capped her career with back-to-back All-American runs in the 400 meter hurdles. Williams placed seventh in the event on May 29, with a time of 1:00.12. It was the second year in a row she has received All-American status in the same event.
Weight thrower Kathy Dirksen took fourth place in her event, while freshman pole vaulter Kayla Caldwell claimed eighth place, each earning All-American honors. It is the first such honor for each of them in their careers.
Saturday afternoon, four more Charger athletes earned All-American distinction. The 4x400 relay team of Erin Benjamin, Jazmin Williams, Marta Scheiwe and Caldwell set a new school record with a time of 3:51 in that event. That time was good for seventh place overall.
Northwood:
Sophomore Kristin Cameron (Algonac, Mich.) earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships Thursday afternoon (May 27) by placing fourth in the hammer throw.
It is the second time in her career Cameron has earned All-America honors. She placed sixth in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this season.
Cameron's best throw came on her fifth of six attempts, tossing 180-4. She entered the event seeded fifth after her school-record breaking toss of 185-9 from the GLIAC Championship.
Northwood's other student-athlete at the event was senior Hannah Stone (Lapeer, Mich./East). Competing in the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career, Stone placed 17th overall in the 1,500 with a time of 4:51.37.
